Hawkins, Laurel--Project Lead the Way

Teacher Bio

Obviously, this is Ms. Hawkins' bio-page. I, therefore, am Ms. Hawkins- Project Lead the Way
teacher. It is an auspicious title given to me after 20 years in the teaching profession. This is my
second year in Project Lead the Way - a program that promotes hands-on problem solving in one
of three main branches; biomedicine, engineering, and programming. I teach 6th, 7th, and
8th grade students different curriculums within these three branches.

I actually attended Swannanoa Valley schools - but back then Black Mountain and
Swannanoa had their own middle schools and the middle school building was actually the
high school. To say the least, I sometimes feel a bit weird walking down the halls again.
After high school, I attended and graduated from UNC-Charlotte in 1997. The next seven years
were a blur as I taught in Surry County- Mount Airy to be exact. Mount Airy often goes by another
name- Mayberry, home of Andy Griffith. I have eaten at Snappy Lunch and I have gone to Mount
Pilot- just a few of the down home favorites. Once I discovered there would be an opening at
Owen Middle, though, I knew the time to return to my hometown was at hand. Needless to say,
they hired me and here I am to stay. In December 2013, I finished my Masters Degree in
Instructional Technology and hope to incorporate the ideas I learned in my coursework and in
various workshops every year and in the years to follow, challenging myself and my students to
use technology as a tool rather than just a toy.